Interview: Transcending Technobabble

What happens when hackers grow up? Neal Stephenson, who has been writing science fiction for over two decades, would be hard pressed to give you the answer. But with the publication of his latest novel, "The System of the World," Stephenson's literary career serves as an obvious starting point in answering this question.

Stephenson, who first sprung to literary fame with the publication of his cyberpunk classic, "Snow Crash," spoke at Cody's on Tuesday promoting his newest book, "The System of the World." "The System of the World" is the third and final volume in his Baroque Cycle trilogy, three novels spanning the late 17th to early 18th century.

I spoke with Stephenson on Tuesday before his appearance at Cody's. Stephenson, who has become a venerated giant within the sci-fi genre, spoke with unapologetic confidence, characteristic of a writer who knows he's already made it to the top.

Before going into the interview, several Stephenson-reading friends wanted me to ask if he had plans to return to the sci-fi genre. And it's true that where works like 1992's "Snow Crash" and 1995's "The Diamond Age" were based in the near-future worlds associated with sci-fi, much of his recent work was set in worlds of the past, from World War II era in 1999's "Cryptonomicon," to the Baroque Period in "The System of the World."

But to Stephenson, he is neither introducing history to sci-fi, nor has his concept of sci-fi changed during his career. He explained that "People who think that they don't like science fiction tend to view it as a rather narrow genre-it's only about green aliens and laser guns. I see it as a broad thing that includes large elements of fantasy, historical fiction and so on. (In) science fiction anthologies there would be historical fiction interspersed all the time ... Nobody made a big deal about it, it just naturally belonged there. So when I ... go back into history in my books, to me it doesn't feel at all like a departure from science fiction."

Not only has Stephenson forayed further back into time, his method for writing The Baroque Cycle was equally antiquated. The entire series was written longhand with fountain pen, a process Stephenson preferred to typing for its slow, deliberate nature. The entire Baroque Cycle numbers at over 3,000 pages, making his decision to write by hand doubly ironic considering that Stephenson's status as a cutting-edge, tech-savvy writer.

The plot of the series is similarly steeped in antiquity: in addition to the dramas of his own fictional characters, "The System of the World" prominently features the 17th century dispute between Sir Issac Newton and the German philosopher Leibniz. Yet Stephenson's work is no mere costume drama: the depth of Stephenson's research is incredibly ambitious, complete, and altogether astonishing, lending his narrating voice indisputable authority. All the while, Stephenson's rhetoric remains thoroughly modern. Written in the present tense, his style is dynamic and engaging, imbued with contemporary sensibilities.

By now, Stephenson is used to people wanting to hear what he thinks. When one person in the audience asked Stephenson "Do you think science fiction can change the world, and if so, how do you aspire to change the world?," he hardly seemed surprised. Refusing to view his work outside of himself, he answered in the same measured, deliberate manner in which he responded to all questions: "If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then to be aware of it and think about it while you're writing would be disastrous ... Books that help you understand more clearly what others think are books that are worth writing and worth reading, and that's about as close as I come to having a greater mission."

During our interview, Stephenson described to me his changing audience, and looking around the room at Cody's, I noticed just that: a wider range of readers, and a lot more gray. This wasn't surprising: as Stephenson's writing has matured, so has his audience. Before, where his readers could be stereotyped as mostly young, aspiring badasses, it was harder to categorize this group. Stephenson's writing hasn't lost its edge, but by virtue of sheer length alone, it takes a patient, educated, and experienced reader to make it through each volume of The Baroque Cycle.

That's fine with Stephenson: he is no longer writing to see if he can. He is writing what he wants to write, and even if he won't concede it, his books are changing the face of the genre. If science fiction was ever snubbed as a lesser form of literature, Stephenson has succeeded in elevating its prestige with his latest string of novels. But he'd be the last to tell you.

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